All Things Vegetarian/Vegan (merged)

[brihard]

Hi, everybody!

I am in the process of enlisting into the CAF. I have passed the CFAT, the Personality-Trait Reliability Test, the interview, and hoping that I will pass my Medical Assessment as well. I passed all the tests, however I am waiting on my blood test results to come back before they send my assessment to Ottawa for further studying.

My question, as a Vegan, can I go through BMQ? Also, will I be able to eat anything in garrison and/or overseas missions?

This is something I am truly concerned about, because I have been Vegan for a long time, and I am perfectly content with my diet and nutrition. Please provide me with as much information as possible regarding this subject.


Thank you,
Ningen

Vegetarian? Sure. Hard core vegan? Might be quite a bit harder. I'm fuzzy on what all the lines in the sand are and I obviously don't know your particulars. But while reasonable accoodations are made for vegetarians, there's only so far they can go, particularly when it comes to prepackaged field rations.

 

[mariomike]

Please provide me with as much information as possible regarding this subject.

In addition to the above vegan discussion, see also,

All Things Vegetarian Thread 
http://army.ca/forums/threads/30884.0
9 pages.

 

[q_1966]

Being a Vegetarian, yes no issues. Vegan...I wish you luck (I have the greatest respect for Vegans as they go all the way not halfway) unless something has changed significantly since I retired from the military in 2011 as a Cook, you might be SOL. The sugar is likely not approved vegan so it could have bonemeal in it http://www.vegsource.com/jo/qa/qasugar.htm which means no duff (dessert) and splenda for your coffee.

 

[PuckChaser]

Here's what we've gotten in recent years for Vegetarian/Kosher/Halal meals: http://www.myownmeals.com/mres-rations/.

Likely, that's what you're going to get in a field scenario. Are you willing to eat normal rations if that's all that's available in an austere environment? If not, you may be setting yourself for failure right from the get-go. Special meals are sometimes difficult to come by, and although there are normal rations without meat, there are no vegan rations period AFAIK.

 

[Treemoss]

Hi, everybody!

I am in the process of enlisting into the CAF. I have passed the CFAT, the Personality-Trait Reliability Test, the interview, and hoping that I will pass my Medical Assessment as well. I passed all the tests, however I am waiting on my blood test results to come back before they send my assessment to Ottawa for further studying.

My question, as a Vegan, can I go through BMQ? Also, will I be able to eat anything in garrison and/or overseas missions?

This is something I am truly concerned about, because I have been Vegan for a long time, and I am perfectly content with my diet and nutrition. Please provide me with as much information as possible regarding this subject.


Thank you,
Ningen

If you're vegan during BMQ it'll be a little rough, as a lot of the food is generic in the sense that it's basically your standard caffateria food. There is a vegetarian station, but a lot of the time the vege meals will be made with eggs or milk. You might get lucky with the questionable bean burrito, tomato sauce pasta or the.. lovely.. tofu teriyake dishes. Your best bet is the salad bar and stocking up on the beans or just take extra bread for all your carby needs.


And personally.. the tofu.. should always be your last resort.

And the tofu

 

[RedcapCrusader]

I did my Basic with a vegan, long story short, she's no longer a vegan. She preferred to be less of a burden to the Armed Forces in order to better serve Canada, as she intended to do in the first place.

 

[Pusser]

A number of folks here have been saying that being a vegetarian in the CF is not an issue.  Wrong.  It is an issue.  Yes, we all have stories of vegetarians we know that have managed and that's fine, but it can be difficult to maintain a vegetarian diet in the CF and no one should be misled into thinking that it's "not an issue."  As I've mentioned before, the only guarantees with regard to diet in the CF  at this point are for medical reasons.  Yes, most kitchens will try to accommodate folks as much as they can, but there are no guarantees and no regulatory requirement to do so.  Maintaining a vegetarian diet will mostly be an individual responsibility and will take forethought and planning.  Sometimes, the only vegetarian choice from the kitchen may be the potatoes...

On a similar note, if you're "hard core" vegan, vegetarian, kosher, halal, etc, and cannot eat anything that has been touched by a utensil that has been used for something else, you can forget that, because that's just not happening.  We do not maintain vegan, vegetarian, kosher, halal, etc. kitchens.

 

[Brasidas]

...and today's vegetarian option: fish

 

[PMedMoe]

...and today's vegetarian option: fish

:rofl:

Sorry, I just think that's funny. 

I remember once in Borden (circa 1995) there were a couple of females who were "vegetarians of convenience" so that they could get a fresher or better prepared meal.  One day on the food line, one of them was complaining about whatever was being served and I turned to her and said, "So, how was that Big Mac I saw you chowing down on over the weekend?"  >

OTOH, in the same time period, just before my gallbladder surgery, I was on a low/no-fat diet and they didn't even have calorie reduced salad dressing.

Ya can't win 'em all. 

 

[mariomike]

I remember once in Borden (circa 1995) there were a couple of females who were "vegetarians of convenience" so that they could get a fresher or better prepared meal.  One day on the food line, one of them was complaining about whatever was being served and I turned to her and said, "So, how was that Big Mac I saw you chowing down on over the weekend?"  >

Flexitarians? 

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

A number of folks here have been saying that being a vegetarian in the CF is not an issue.  Wrong.  It is an issue.  Yes, we all have stories of vegetarians we know that have managed and that's fine, but it can be difficult to maintain a vegetarian diet in the CF and no one should be misled into thinking that it's "not an issue."  As I've mentioned before, the only guarantees with regard to diet in the CF  at this point are for medical reasons.  Yes, most kitchens will try to accommodate folks as much as they can, but there are no guarantees and no regulatory requirement to do so.  Maintaining a vegetarian diet will mostly be an individual responsibility and will take forethought and planning.  Sometimes, the only vegetarian choice from the kitchen may be the potatoes...

On a similar note, if you're "hard core" vegan, vegetarian, kosher, halal, etc, and cannot eat anything that has been touched by a utensil that has been used for something else, you can forget that, because that's just not happening.  We do not maintain vegan, vegetarian, kosher, halal, etc. kitchens.

This goes for any diet in the CAF, not just vegetarian.  I try and maintain a paleo diet as much as possible.  Pretty hard if your eating in a CAF kitchen or having to consume crappy box lunches.  Moral of the story, you'll eat what the military gives you. 

 

[Pusser]

I know of one case where a sailor on a course had asked for box lunches with no pork products (he was Muslim).  He was given ham sandwiches every day.  The kitchen was asked why they kept doing that and their response was that the request had been "no pork," so they gave him ham to be sure he didn't get any pork...  :facepalm:

 

[Blackadder1916]

. . . their response was that the request had been "no pork," so they gave him ham to be sure he didn't get any pork...  :facepalm:

So that partly solves the age old mystery of the meat in box lunch sandwiches.

 

[RedcapCrusader]

I know of one case where a sailor on a course had asked for box lunches with no pork products (he was Muslim).  He was given ham sandwiches every day.  The kitchen was asked why they kept doing that and their response was that the request had been "no pork," so they gave him ham to be sure he didn't get any pork...  :facepalm:

This has got to be a joke.  :facepalm:

 

[PMedMoe]

This has got to be a joke.  :facepalm:

I'd say unfortunately not.  We had a person on a course who was a vegan.  Her box lunch contained a hard boiled egg and other non-vegan items.

 

[ballz]

So that partly solves the age old mystery of the meat in box lunch sandwiches.

Now all I wanna know is why all the people who don't request "no pork" end up with ham sandwiches every day!

 

[Pusser]

Now all I wanna know is why all the people who don't request "no pork" end up with ham sandwiches every day!

Because ham is a relatively cheap, innocuous and inoffensive (except for Jews, Muslims, vegans, vegetarians, etc) lunch meat. 

My wife actually keeps an "emergency ham" on hand to be used when there's nothing else available to eat - then gets upset when I make ham salad out of it (which is far as I'm concerned is the only good way to eat ham).

 

[ModlrMike]

Because ham is a relatively cheap, innocuous and inoffensive (except for Jews, Muslims, vegans, vegetarians, etc) lunch meat. 

My wife actually keeps an "emergency ham" on hand to be used when there's nothing else available to eat - then gets upset when I make ham salad out of it (which is far as I'm concerned is the only good way to eat ham).

The second best way is in pea soup. But thats where you put the trimmings from the first option.

 

[LayeSone]

Hey, I'm new to the forum and I recently took interest in the navy. I always wanted to be in the military but only ever paid attention to the army until now

My question is for anyone, vegan or non vegan in the navy, is it possible?  I've been having a really hard time imagining myself going back to eating meat, dairy or eggs. If it is possible,  what could I possibly eat?

I have researched some food in the navy and it looks as if I would only live off of potatoes and some veggies, which is fine. But do they serve these foods every night?  Would I be in a position where I would have to give in? I would be okay with a compromise every now and then but not daily.

Thanks.

 

[The Bread Guy]

This has got to be a joke.  :facepalm:

If the cooks are of the generation thinking, "of course I know where chickens come from - the supermarket",  they may now know ham is from the same beast as pork.